So You Think You Can Dance opens with a bang; Whitney Carson, Janelle Issis, Lindsay Arnold, Cyrus Spencer, Cole Horibe stand out for me

So You Think You Can Dance started on the right foot as far as I’m concerned.

If the opening number, which included all 20 dancers, is any indication of the calibre of dancing this season, we are in for a great season. The Christopher Scott number was sensational.

On opening night, regular judges Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy were joined by Kenny Ortega.

This season the viewers will be voting for individuals and not couples; the couples were selected by the show and not drawn out of a hat; the first elimination will be of two guys and two girls; and this season there will be two winners, a male and a female.

Here’s what I saw on an exciting opening night in which I thought the last five dances were among the best ever on an opening show:

Whitney Carson and Cheyon Wespi-Tscopp, samba by Louis Van Amstel – Good start to the competition. Whitney is very hard to take your eyes off – she could go a long way. Cheyon seemed a little stiff to me.

Tiffany Maher and George Lawrence II, Sonya Tayeh contemporary – I think it could have been more emotional, I didn’t see what Mary saw. I saw a couple of jerky parts, but overall very good.

Janaya French and Brandon Mitchell, Napoleon and Tabitha hip hop – Dance told a story of Brandon having to choose between the love of his life and his alcoholic addiction. Brandon, a stepper, had real crisp moves and Janaya held her own. It was a great story and Janaya beat out the bottle.

Alexa Anderson and Daniel Baker, jazz routine by Sean Cheesman – Not my favourite Cheesman routine but it was good. I don’t think it showed enough of Alexa’s talent. Very fast moving routine.

Amber Jackson and Nick Bloxsam Carter, Jason Gilikson’s Vienese waltz – Jason was rough on Nick during rehearsal because it was Nick’s genre – and it paid off. Amber was very classy and smooth throughout.

Amelia Lowe and Will Thomas, character pop routine by Napoleon and Tabitha – This was a purrfect fit for Amelia. Story about a sophisticated cat meeting a back-alley cat daddy. Great routinge. Both were fantastic.

Janelle Issis and Dareian Kujawa, African jazz by Sean Cheesman – I couldn’t asked for better – one of my favourites Janelle dancing to one of my favourite styles, Cheesman’s African stuff. I really liked her dancing, but I thought Dareian’s moves were more committed.

Eliana Girard and Cyrus Spencer, Broadway by Tyce Diorio – Tyce was worried that animator Cyrus would be too far out of his element. He didn’t have to worry, this pair nailed it. The routine was dynamite. Eliana was incredible.

Audrey Case and Matt Kazmierczak, Travis Wall contemporary – This routine was Travis’s take on the Titantic love story. Travis is becoming a great choreopgrapher. Matt was way better than I expected. Audrey is a little sweetheart and an explosive dancer. Great performance had all the judges on their feet. Nigel said it was the best dance of the night.

Lindsay Arnold and Cole Horibe, paso doble by Jason Gilkison – Great dance. Both are very dynamic dancers. I loved the intensity. Judges again on their feet, which was followed by some very high praised from all three.

This Week's Flyers

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.